Vacation
by ladylupin6332
Summary: RLGW..THIS STORY'S OFFICIALLY OFF OF HIATUS! CHAPTER 4 REDONE- CHAPTER 5 UP SOON, I PROMISE! Ginny's a reporter living in NY, and, thanks to some nudging from her boss, goes on vacation, where she becomes... re-acquainted with her favorite old professor
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING!!!**

THIS CHAPTER IS, BASICALLY, JUST ONE BIG AUTHOR'S NOTE.

_BUT-_

EVEN IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE READING THE FIRST PART, **PLEASE READ THE SECOND PART!!!** IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT BACKROUND INFORMATION FOR THE UPCOMING CHAPTERS!!!!

PART 1: Okay! I'm baaaaack! I come, bearing a gift- another story, starring Remus and Ginny, everyone's favorite pairing -or my favorite paring, anyway. But since this is _my_ story, I suppose that's what matters.

And this time, I'm not going to put a chapter limit on it- I have learned my lesson! I don't think it will be _super_ long- my attention span is rather short- but who knows?

Not me! (scary thought)

In fact, I'm not even 100 percent sure exactly what's going to happen in this story. I have a beginning… and an end. The rest is just going to be an adventure- yay!

I happen to _like_ adventures.

I don't really know how I came up with this idea- it just kind of struck me. You know how those things happen.

Alright. This Author's Note is getting monstrously long. On to part 2!

PART 2: Alright. There's a few things that you need to know before the story _actually_ _technically_ starts because, well, I'm lazy and don't feel like finding a creative way to include it in the story. It's just some background information about our beloved characters. So, here it is:

**FIRST AND FOREMOST!**

The war is over. And since I'm nice, everyone survived- well, except Voldemort. Sirius still died, but Dumbledore lives!

**NOW, GINNY!**

Ginny is 25. After Hogwarts, she was a struggling, starving young reporter, doing bit pieces for the Daily Prophet but, of _course_, dreaming of more. Then, five years ago, she was "discovered" by Madelina Giocomo, the owner of [_insert snazzy magazine name here_. I can't think of a name for it. It's like Cosmo, but for witches, alright? I'm just going to call it TM- The Magazine. I know, _lame_.

Anyways, Madelina immediately fell in love with Ginny's fresh style and look, and offered her the job of a lifetime- writing for and co-publishing and -editing TM in New York City.

Now, not only has sales of TM soared since the addition of Ginny to the staff, but now Ginny is, pretty much, the America's wizarding world's sweetheart. She's the "sexy, young face of TM", and her fun, fresh articles relate to everyone from young preteens to old biddies. She not only interviews celebrities; she's a celebrity in her own right.

At first she was thrilled, but she's not quite happy with this lifestyle anymore.

**NOW, REMUS!**

Remus is 48. (I don't care how old he "really" is- in my story, he's 48!!) He's still a werewolf. After the war, though, everyone loves him because he played a big role in the defeat of Voldemort. He's been the Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher for six years- now, parents who were causing a big stink before when he was a teacher at Hogwarts are now honored to have him teaching their children.

During the school year, of course, he lives at Hogwarts. But, during the summer he lives at 12 Grimmuald Place and oversees the upkeep of the house and all the people in it- since, not only is 12 Grimmuald Place headquarters for the Order, but it is also a temporary home for any traveling Order members or guests of the Order.

He dated Tonks for a while, but eventually they broke up. Things just weren't really working out- Tonks felt that Remus's heart wasn't really into having a relationship. They're still friends, though. Since Tonks, he's dated a few women, but- to his dismay- nothing serious.

**AND NOW, EVERYONE ELSE!**

Ron, an Auror, and Hermione, a record-keeper at the ministry, are married and have three boys- David, 5, Chris, 3, and Harold, 14 months. Harry, also an Auror, is engaged to a muggle librarian named Christine. Bill and Fleur have just one daughter, Bridgette, and she's 9. Fred's been married to Angelina Johnson for only a few months. George is a bachelor. Charlie's a bachelor. Percy's a prat, and doesn't exist, really, in this story.

Anyone I'm forgetting?

Luna! Luna's got a live-in boyfriend named Tony. He's a muggle. He's a stoner. He mistakes Luna's… Luna-ness for potheaded-ness. But, she loves him.

And there. I think that's everyone.

Now I can start the story!


	2. Chapter 2

…

…

**CHAPTER 1**

…

…

Ginny woke up to the sounds of the shower running, and the traffic outside her apartment. The sounds were like an ice pick, right in her eardrums.

Honestly… New York City was the worst place to wake up with a hang-over in.

After flopping over with a yawn and a massive stretch, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up, trying to rub the headache from her temples. She shivered when the cool air, flowing in from the window, hit her skin- she wanted to crawl back into the warm little blanket cocoon she had formed, but instead she just padded her way over to the mirror that hung across from the bed.

Yawning again, she reached up to muss her own curly hair- already _completely_ out of control this early in the morning- and squinted at her naked form. She was short, compact, with millions upon millions of freckles covering her pale skin. She turned to the side, running her hands over her small bust, her not-_quite_-flat stomach- she wasn't fat by any means, even if she did often feel that way around all those skinny little twig models running around at the magazine.

Sighing, she turned around and was immediately face-to-face with one James MacArthur. Well, face-to-pectorals, anyway. She _was_ short, after all.

James grinned widely- that famous grin that Ginny knew for a fact had melted many a woman's heart. She had, of course, just done a whole four page spread on the model/singer/songwriter.

In Ginny's opinion, James had a crap voice- it was nasally, whiny almost. And all his songs were thinly-veiled allusions to his own good looks and sexual prowess. But…

He certainly was a good model- even though, she supposed, you couldn't actually really mess that up. He was just supremely good-looking, with his chiseled features and dark hair and dark eyes and absolutely _divine_ body…

And, even though his songs were stupid… the 'sexual prowess' part had a bit of truth to it, as Ginny had found out the night before.

Not that she could actually remember a whole lot of it. She had drank a lot of wine at the party to celebrate James's spread that previous night, and could only vaguely remember asking him back to her place, much less the activities that had ensued afterwards.

"Hey there," James said, trying to wrap his arms around her- Ginny, however, just shrugged away, moving over to the chair across the room to pick up her robe. James didn't seem to notice this brush-off, though, or, if he did, he ignored it. "You want to go get some breakfast, or something?"

"Not really," Ginny said, slipping into the robe, knotting it tightly around her waist. She noticed that James was wearing one of her towel- her nice, decorative towels, nonetheless- slung low on his hips.

Yes, he certainly was nice to look at, but right now Ginny just wanted him _gone_.

"Oh…" James said. Ginny was sure this was the first time a woman had denied him anything. "Well, we don't have to go out, or anything. I mean, we could stay here-"

"I'm not much of a breakfast person, you know?" She sighed, rubbing her temples some more. This headache was killer! "I really just want to take a shower and then go back to bed."

James grinned that grin again. "Ahh… I think you want some company, then." It wasn't a question. He let his towel fall to the ground.

Ginny grabbed his clothes off the floor and pushed them into his arms. "Actually, I think I want you to put some clothes on."

James, she could tell, was confused at her refusal- no one, after all, had _ever_ accused him of being a genius. All he knew was (1.) being pretty and (2.) having sex. And now that (1.) wasn't getting him (2.), he just didn't know what to do with himself.

Confused or not, he began putting his clothes on- and for this, Ginny was eternally grateful. She didn't think her eardrums could handle an argument right at that moment.

Fully dressed now, he just shoved his hands into his pockets. "So, uh… do you want my number, or something? Or to give me yours?"

_Persistent, this one._

Ginny placed her hands on his back, pushing him gently out of the bedroom. She led him towards the door. "I know you're number, James."

"Ah. Right." He turned around for one last try. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay-"

"I'm sure, James," Ginny said. She opened the door. "Buh-bye, now."

James's good-bye was only half out of his mouth when the door was shut in his face. Ginny, on the other side, groaned and leaned back against it. She waited for the sounds of James leaving before she made her way to the bathroom.

After a nice, long shower- where she discovered that not only had James used one of her decorative towels, but he had also liberally used her shampoo- she flopped back onto her bed. She looked at the clock.

Nine twenty.

She rolled into a ball and snuggled back into her blankets for a quick nap before she had to go into the office.

"I need a vacation," she sighed.

…

A/N: Love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think!!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, except anything you don't recognize.**

Mmkay? Mmkay.

I always forget to put one of those! So, this counts for all the rest of the story, too.

…

…

**CHAPTER 2**

…

…

Just Adrian- called so around the office because of her constant protest to her last name ("It's _Just Adrian!_" she'd insist. "You know, like _Cher!_") came running up to Ginny, clickity-clacking in her spiky little heels, as soon as Ginny walked through the door.

"So you went home with _James_ last night?" she asked in that high little voice of hers. With her voice- and her nasty habit of _constantly_ hovering around and bothering you while you tried to work- Ginny thought Just Adrian rather resembled a mosquito or another annoying bug that constantly was buzzing about your head.

"_Yes_," Ginny said tersely. Her hang-over headache was still going strong, and Adrian's voice wasn't helping. "I'd actually rather not talk about it, thanks."

"Oh," Adrian looked put out for only a moment before forging onward. "Well, is it, like, _serious_ between you two? Because, well, I _thought_ I saw him, like, _totally_ checking me out at the party last night, and I was _going_ to ask him if he wanted to go out sometime-"

Ginny- who was heading to her office- stopped abruptly right outside her door- so abruptly that Just Adrian, who'd been following, bumped right into her back.

"Ju- _Adrian_," Ginny said. "First of all- no. Things are not serious between us. Secondly- James MacArthur was checking out _everyone_ at that party who possessed a decent pair of breasts. And, finally- _I said I didn't want to talk about it_."

She opened the door and went inside. She tried to close the door in Adrian's face- it was the _only_ way, really, to get the girl to stop talking- as she had done with James just hours ago, but Adrian stuck her pointy little shoe right in the way.

"But, _Giiiinny_…" she whined, drawing out Ginny's name to at least five syllables and raising her voice to a pitch that made Ginny's ears throb. "Do you _mind_-"

Ginny pushed Just Adrian's heel out of the doorway with her own foot. "No!"

And with that, she slammed the door.

With a tired little groan, she made her way over to her chair. With a flick of her wand, a steaming cup of coffee instantly appeared on the corner of her desk. Gratefully, she took a long sip. It made her feel a little better. Pulling her little green stress ball out from the bottom drawer and squeezing it for good measure, she settled down to get busy.

_Now… for today's tasks…_

Ginny flipped through her agenda. Today she had to proof the final layout for James MacArthur's spread, plus three other spreads, check up on two articles that still hadn't been submitted, and call some actress about her interview for next month's issue- not to mention all the other little errands and odd jobs that she'd get stuck doing along the way.

There was a knock on the door, and without even waiting for Ginny to say _'come in'_, in strolled Tom Willis.

Tom Willis was Ginny's assistant. He was extremely good-looking (it seemed _everyone _around here was), extremely friendly, and- in his opinion- extremely old. He was almost thirty, but if you mentioned the big _three-oh_ around him, he'd likely slap you across the face.

He was a gay man, and he was very sensitive about his age- Ginny though this was quite hilarious. She loved Tom- if he wasn't gay, she'd date him, because not only was he her assistant, he was her closest friend here in New York.

"Tom," Ginny said, leaning back in her chair, squeezing her stress ball furiously. "What have I said about knocking? I could have been… _naked_ in here, or something."

Tom laughed. "Naked? Ginny, darling, you have no clothes here and, unlike some of the girlies here, you are nowhere _near_ crazy enough to dare get it on in the workplace!"

Ginny smiled slightly. "But still-"

"No buts, Gin," Tom interjected. "You know I _never_ knock."

Ginny just rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine. Whatever." They had this conversation at least once a week. "What have you got for me today?"

"Well, Madelina called and said that she was going to be dropping by in a few hours to check up on things. And…" he checked his paper. "James MacArthur called and wanted to know about lunch-"

Ginny groaned, dropping her head to her desk. Tom raised an eyebrow, but continued with his list.

"and then your mother called. She wanted to know- _quote_- 'when's the next time you're coming around because two-years-going-on-three is an awfully long time to ignore those who loved you and cared for you and put up with all your flim-flam for twenty-five years'-_end quote_."

Ginny looked down and noticed that, at the words '_your mother'_, she had begun squeezing the ball so tight that her knuckles were now white. She released it slowly. "'Flim-flam'?" she asked.

Tom nodded, showing her the notebook. "Yes- it's right here. See, she had me write it all down, word for word."

Ginny looked. "_My mother's a madwoman_." She took a deep breath. "Alright. If you don't mind, call James back and tell him that I have a meeting, or something."

"Are you going to call your mother?" Tom asked. "Or should I?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, I would _never_ make you go through that. I'll call her later, if I get around to it. If she decides to call back, then just put her straight through to me, alright?"

"Gotcha," Tom agreed. He opened the door. "So, Ginny, dear- I suppose it's true, then- about you sleeping with Mr. James MacArthur?"

Ginny growled, throwing her stress ball at Tom's face. He laughed, ducking it easily, and left. She could hear him laughing all the way down the hallway.

She had just settled down to begin proofing her first spread when there was another knock at the door. This time, it was Madelina Giocomo- TM's owner.

Miranda Giocomo was a regal woman- sixty-five years old, almost six foot tall with impeccable posture, darkly tanned skin, and steely grey hair coiffed to perfection. She was always dressed in the nicest designer-label pantsuits, and she was always just so… professional-looking. Ginny _adored_ her.

"Miranda!" Ginny smiled, instantly straightening up in her seat. "Tom just told me that you were coming."

"Yes, I was going to stay and help out a bit, but my plans have changed. I just needed to come in here and talk to you for a second." She smiled down at Ginny, and sat down in the seat on the opposite side of the desk. "How is everything, Ginny? Are you alright?" she asked.

Ginny shrugged. "I suppose," she said. "Why?

"Well, I just noticed that you haven't taken a vacation in a few years, and, well, you spend almost every waking hour here at the office."

"Madelina, I _love_ my job!" Ginny said. "I don't mind-"

"No, no, Ginny, don't get the wrong idea," Miranda laughed. "I would never fire you! You've done so much for this magazine; I couldn't even _begin_ to imagine it without you."

"Thanks," Ginny blushed.

"I was just trying to say that I've noticed you've been a bit high-strung lately- and others have noticed, too. Just on my way up here, my whole elevator ride was spent listening to Miss Adrian complaining about what a 'heinous bitch' you were earlier this morning."

Ginny winced. "Well, I suppose I was a _bit_ sharp…"

Madelina just laughed. "I understand, Ginny. You don't have to explain."

Ginny just pursed her lips, nodding.

"Ginny, I think you should go on vacation. Take a few weeks-"

"'A few _weeks'_?" Ginny asked.

Madelina nodded. "A few weeks, and just go somewhere. Don't bring any work with you. Just relax."

Ginny opened her mouth to say something when Tom's head popped in the doorway. "Gin," he said in a loud stage-whisper, "Phone. _It's your mom_."

Ginny sighed. Then, she had an idea.

"You know what, Madelina? I think I'll take that vacation."

…

A/N: Review! Please! _Tell me if this is worth continuing._ I like it so far, myself...


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Who else has already finished HP7 a kajillion times? lol. I know that, according to the book, Ron and Hermione's children aren't these children- or nearly as misbehaved!- but this is my story. I started it before #7 came out, so it's staying this way!

Hummph.

:) Lula

…

**CHAPTER 3**

…

…

Molly Weasley, of course, was _ecstatic_ at the news of Ginny's upcoming visit.

"_Oh, Ginny!_" she cried, so loudly that Ginny had to hold the phone a few inches from her ear in order to preserve her hearing. "Everyone is so excited to see you! We'll throw a party-"

"No, Mum," Ginny interrupted. "I don't want a party. I'm coming to _relax_…"

"But parties _are_ relaxing, darling!" Molly began rambling on about who would attend and what food would be served, blah blah _blah_… Ginny could tell her mother already had her quill and ink out, making a list.

Ginny, on the other side of the line, tuned her mother out. She was finishing up the last of her packing, and was trying to make sure she remembered everything.

_Shoes… Jacket… Undies…_

"Ginny? _Ginny!_" Molly's voice broke into her thoughts. "Were you listening to a word I just said?"

"No, Mum," Ginny sighed- there was no point lying to Molly Weasley. She always knew the truth anyway. "But I know you were making a list of it all, so I'll just read it when I get there."

"When are you coming, dear? Tonight?"

Ginny spun around, holding her forehead, trying to think. "Um… yeah. I suppose I could come tonight." She flicked her wand, making her suitcases snap close. "I'll be there in a few hours, actually."

"Excellent!"

…

Ginny apparated smack-dab in the middle of a whirlwind. Two of her little nephews were running around the Burrow's living room, screaming at the top of their lungs. Five year old David was buck-naked, with what appeared to be jam smeared across his chest; three year old Christopher was just topless with his shirt tied around his neck like a cape. Hermione- looking quite frazzled- was chasing her two boys while, at the same time, trying to calm the crying baby in her arms.

"Aunt Ginny!" David suddenly cried, seeing Ginny. He changed course and jumped on his aunt. "Aunt Ginny! Aunt Ginny!"

Christopher jumped up and down, tugging on Ginny's sweater. He never was one for talking much, Ginny remembered.

At her grandson's shouts, Molly Weasley came out of the kitchen. She barreled towards Ginny and squeezed her into a gigantic hug.

"Ammuh!" David tried to shout, smashed between the two women. "Ammuh, er mooshin ee!"

Ginny, who could understand her nephew's shouts ('Grandma, you're smooshing me') tried to pull away from her mother to spare the poor boy, but Molly wasn't having any of that. She held on to her daughter until Ginny's back had cracked at least twice and she was getting light-headed from the lack of oxygen.

"Mum…"she gasped. "Please…"

Molly held Ginny at arms length, looking her up and down. "Oh, my little baby's come home!"

Ginny just smiled tightly, rubbing her chest.

"Gin!" Hermione beamed, coming up now. Little Harold was still in her arms, still crying full-force. Either Hermione had just given up, or was used to it. "Great to see you!"

"Er, yeah," Ginny laughed. "You, too." She hugged Hermione the best she could, what with the bawling baby and all. "Um, where's Ron?"

"Romania," Hermione sighed, shifting Harold on her hip. "He's tracking down a few remaining Death Eaters that were hiding out there. I'm staying here until he gets back, so Molly can help me out with the boys." She said all this, completely ignoring the fact that Christopher had finally gotten a hold of the jam and was now shoving handfuls of it down his pants while David was climbing up the draperies, hooting like a monkey.

Ginny, however, had not missed all of this- and the fact that Harold was still crying. "Staying here?" Ginny asked. This was not good. This was the complete opposite of relaxation- this was insane! "How long has Ron been gone, then?"

"About a week?" she guessed. "I've kind of lost track, actually…"

As Christopher came streaking by, Hermione finally caught him by the arm, holding him against her leg firmly.

Ginny, meanwhile, went over to pull David off of the drapes. "I'm going to go talk to Mum for a second," she told Hermione, handing her the giggling little boy.

Molly was bustling around the kitchen, and- from the looks of it- it appeared that Ginny's pleas for her arrival to remain party-less had been ignored.

"Mum-"

"Oh, great!" Molly cried, spinning round. "You can help me peel the rest of these carrots!"

Ginny obediently made her way to the countertop to help peel the carrots. "Mum, I think that maybe I should stay somewhere else-"

"What? Of course not!" Molly cried over her kettle. "You should stay in your own house."

"But, with Hermione, and the boys…"

"Oh, they'll be behaved now that their Auntie Ginny's here!"

Ginny, somehow, doubted this greatly. But, there really was no use arguing with her mother.

A/N: Reviews for Miss Lula?

Lula like-y!

Lula want review-y!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Well! Now that it's been... oh, almost a year since I last updated this story, I've decided to maybe start continuing it.

I have absolutely no excuse for my long hiatus. Lol, so I won't bore you with trying to come up with a convincing lie. :p

Anyways! Before I get started, I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed this story, even during my laziness:

**Artemis942, Naomi, Amanda, wrenbailey, siriuslyblackxx, freddy2fan, Bewinha, Selene Faux, WeepingCherry, dristi, Don'tCallMeBones, sasherxcopy, Angel-from-Hell-Baby, faeriesarereal, birdofgeorgia, RagamuffinSundrop,** and** Sympathetic Me**

You guys all rock!

Now... my major problem with this story was that I had no idea how to get from point A to point B. And it's all Chapter 4's fault, I've decided! So I'm going back and changing Chapter 4 up a bit, and then we'll see how it goes from there. Kay?

_All that is **bold** is the new, improved stuff!  
_

Let's get the show on the road!

...

...

**Chapter 4  
**

...

...

It was almost nine o clock and, so far, the party had gone _exactly_ like Ginny figured it would- her mother was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, fussing over _everyone_ who stepped through the door.

Of course, Hermione and the boys were already there- and, in spite of Molly's promises of them calming- they were as wound up as ever. Ginny had just wrestled David _back_ into his clothes for the third time- since Hermione had been too busy feeding fussy Harold to even notice that her son was becoming an Olympic nudist- when Bill and Fleur showed up with little Bridgette. Bridgette had only been about six when Ginny'd last seen her- back then, she'd have _happily_ joined in the havoc her nephews were wrecking, but now, at nine, she was "_much too mature for such foolishness"_.

Those were her very words. Ginny's mouth would have dropped in surprise if she didn't know that _Fleur_ was the girl's mother.

As Bridgette was wrinkling her nose at the candy piece Christopher was offering her- it was slobbery, with bits of lint and stuff sticking to it- a whole herd of people arrived: Harry, his pretty girlfriend (a muggle, Molly had informed her, named Christine), Fred, Angelina, Tonks and her date, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Then, close behind, were George and his latest girlfriend, Luna Lovegood, and about twelve other Order members.

One by one, they all hugged Ginny, expressing their joy at her impromptu visit. Ginny just smiled and nodded and said all the right things and laughed at all the right times, just like any good guest of honor would, but inside she felt like she was _dying_. She just wanted to go upstairs, to finish the last of her proofs (despite Madelina's orders, she _had_, in fact, brought work with her), and just _sleep._

It was too crowded- people were pouring in by the minute, some Ginny had never even _met_ before. It seemed as if Molly had invited _every_ witch and wizard on the face of the _planet_. All of them were talking- not to Ginny, though, she noticed, thinking that was rather odd, considering she was, after all, the guest of honor- and it was too loud and Ginny could hardly think.

Dumping her warm drink- she'd been nursing it for the last hour and a half- into the kitchen sink, she poured herself a new one. She turned around to head back into the party, and ran smack into none other than her _favorite_ professor.

"_Snape!"_ She cried, surprised, though not quite knowing why. _Of course _Snape was here! Every _other _wizard in England was.

Snape curled his lips into a smirk as he, too, poured his drink out into the sink. "Miss Weasley- as observant as ever, I see."

Ginny blushed despite herself.

"I was just leaving, actually," he said. He shrugged into his coat. "As much… _fun_ as I'm having here, I'm afraid I have other business to attend to."

"Fine with me," Ginny said. "I would leave, too, if I could- and it's _my_ bloody party."

Snape narrowed his eyes at her as she laughed, as if he couldn't believe that she was actually having a conversation with him, joking with him. The giggle died in Ginny's throat.

With a curt nod, Snape turned and left, and Ginny was once more alone. She couldn't believe it- she'd been so desperate for someone to talk to, some company, that she'd actually tried talking to Snape? _Snape?_

_What was_ _wrong with her? _No one talked to Snape _willingly._

Ginny changed her mind about going back to the party. They all looked like they were having a jolly old time without her- _surely_ they would manage if she just slipped out for some fresh air for a minute… _or ten._

Exiting discreetly out of the back door, Ginny made her way to the rickety old swing set sitting desolately in the middle of the backyard. She sat down carefully on the rusty old swing in themiddle and just closed her eyes.

This swing set had a lot of memories for Ginny- like the time when she was six and Fred and George were supposed to be watching her as she played on it, but instead had gotten distracted trying to catch a particularly hideous-looking gnome, and she'd fallen off and broken her wrist. Or the many times over the years she and Ron would have contests to see who could swing the highest, or who could jump off and land the furthest away. Or the summer before her sixth year when Harry had pushed her on this very swing, back and forth, back and forth, before finally catching her, stopping her, kissing her.

Ginny sighed. She'd felt a slight sting when Harry'd shown up with Christine tonight. Not because she still harbored romantic feelings toward him… it was much more complicated than that. It was the fact that he had someone, was actually in a relationship- a serious relationship- with someone, and not just having random one-night stands after getting drunk at office parties.

Everyone had someone, she realized with a start. Harry had his Christine, Ron and Hermione had each other, Fred had Angelina, Bill had Fleur, Tonks had whatever her date's name was, George had his string of girlfriends, even Luna- she remembered her mentioning earlier- had a live-in boyfriend.

How had everyone gotten married, or engaged, or together- everyone, and her not notice? Why was she the only one still single?

_The only one… still single…_

This realization depressed Ginny. She was about to get up and go back inside so she could slip off to bed and wallow in self-pity at her single status when a figuring stepping outside made her stop.

_"Ginny? Are you out here?" _

It was Remus Lupin's voice, she identified quickly- he had a very distinguishable voice. She hadn't even seen him arrive- why was _he_ looking for her?

**Ginny looked up to see her former professor, standing on the Burrow's back stoop. He seemed different than how she remembered him... had he always been so tall, so skinny? No, skinny wasn't quite the right word... 'lanky', perhaps, or maybe just 'thin'. He stood straighter than she remembered, too, with his shoulders squared, like he was... proud. The war, she supposed, had been good for him- given him back his pride. She smiled.**

**Remus saw her, then, saw her smiling, and smiled back, making his way over to the swingset where she sat. "Well, hello, there, party girl," he greeted her, a chuckle in his voice. "Why, pray tell, are you out _here_, when there's a party being held in your honor in _there?_"**

**"Eh," Ginny shrugged, "They won't miss me." She sighed, patting the swing beside her. "Have a seat, Professor."**

**"Ginny, please, don't call me that," he laughed, sitting down in the swing obediently. "You make me feel old."**

**"We-ell..." Ginny rolled her eyes up at him- even with both of them sitting, he was much taller than her.**

**Remus just laughed again, digging the toe of his shoe into the dirt. "You're mother's glad to have you back." Ginny just scoffed. "What, you don't believe me?"**

**"Oh, no, I believe you just fine. I just don't see how I'm going to get through this vacation without ripping out all my hair... my nephews are terrors! You'd think they sprinkled their cereal with... _crack_ in the mornings."**

**Remus actually snorted. "Yeah, they can be a bit... hyper. I believe Christopher's lost his clothes again, actually..."**

**"See? How am I supposed to find a moments peace with those little jam-covered nudists running around underfoot every waking moment?" Ginny sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I love them- to death! I mean, they're my nephews... but still. I guess I'm just not a... kid-person. I don't do well with children."**

**"I never claimed you didn't love them," Remus pointed out.**

**Ginny looked at him. "Well, yeah, I mean... I know.. I was just_ saying_..." she blew a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Why are you out here?" She asked, changing the subject.**

**"I came looking for you, of course."**

**"Why?"**

**Remus smiled at her. "Well, why not?"**

**Ginny cocked her head at him. She almost would swear that he... nah, it couldn't be. That would be, well, weird. But, for some reason, she felt her stomach do a pleasant little flip at the notion of him flirting with her. Remus noticed the little smile playing at her lips, but said nothing.**

**"Well," he cleared his throat after a minute or two. "It's getting late- I should probably be heading back to 12 Grimuald Place."**

**"Do you live there?" Ginny asked, curious.**

**"That I do... along with anyone who happens to need a place to stay." He winked at her, and then disappeared back into the house, leaving Ginny alone once more, sitting out on the swing. She sat there for a second, pondering what had just happened. Did Remus Lupin just _wink _at her? She smiled like an idiot. Well, he'd most definitely changed since she last saw him... he was practically a different person! It was odd, but not... entirely unpleasant. She laughed to herself, getting up from the swing and making her way back inside.**

**The party had died down a bit, but was still too loud and too crowded. She looked around for Remus without really realizing what she was doing, when she saw her mother. Unfortunatly, her mother saw her, as well.**

**"Ginny! There you are! Where'd you run off to?" She cried, scurrying over. "I was looking all over for you!"**

**"I just went outside for a second. I was talking to Remus..." Ginny trailed off, interrupted by Molly.**

**"_Remus! _He was here? Where is he, now?" Molly looked around. "Why, I didn't even know he arrived!"**

**Ginny patted her mother on the arm. "Well, he said he was going home... does he really live at 12 Grimuald place?"**

**"Oh, yes," Luna Lovegood said, floating over. "Yes, ever since Sirius died, he looks over the place... it's such a beautiful old house, don't you think? But I bet it's absolutely infested with Harguleblaskerts."**

**Ginny didn't even want to ask what a Harguleblaskert was. Excusing herself from her mother and Luna, Ginny made her way upstairs. She was going to go over the last of her work, but for some reason didn't quite feel like doing it anymore. So, instead, she laid down on her childhood bed and, before she knew it, she'd drifted off to sleep.**

...

A/N: Oh! And going back and looking at the reviews... yeah, I know in that chapter I do switch kinda back and forth between Miranda and Madelina... what can I say? I was reading 'The Devil Wears Prada' at the time. :p

I promise to update with Chapter 5 soon, but, you know, a review from you would just be lovely. :)


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